


Title?  (Excuses, excuses)

by unknowableroom_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Marauders' Era, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-10-18
Updated: 2008-10-18
Packaged: 2019-01-19 14:26:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12412047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unknowableroom_archivist/pseuds/unknowableroom_archivist
Summary: James witnesses a scene he was never supposed to know anything about.  As usual, Remus has to set him straight on a few issues...





	Title?  (Excuses, excuses)

**Author's Note:**

> Note from ChristyCorr, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Unknowable Room](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Unknowable_Room), a Harry Potter archive active from 2005-2016. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after May 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Unknowable Room collection profile](http://www.archiveofourown.org/collections/unknowableroom).

A/N:  This was written last winter for the Tales of Slings, Arrows and Outrageous Fortune challenge at Red and the Wolf over on livejournal.  My prompts were "tune" (okay, I cheated - "attuned") and "Our doubts are traitors / And make us lose the good we oft might win / By fearing to attempt."  Measure for Measure, 1.4

I found this recently and decided that I still liked it, and thought maybe I should post it here.  My original inspiration (besides the prompts) came from thinking about how JKR said that James, Lily, Remus and Sirius worked for the order full-time, and wondering what kind of cover stories they would have had, as they were obviously high-profile students.  Then it kind of took off and did its own thing... 

_____________________________________________________________________________  


 

The ribbon in her hair was blue. 

_Just like that satin lining…_

James involuntarily clutched the roll of parchment in his hand tighter, then winced at the sound. _Damn._

The blonde in front of him glanced at the other young man standing in the lift, who, thankfully, had an armful of parchment and file folders. She shot him a small smile, which he tried to return, but only managed to drop two folders in his surprise. 

James jumped back out of the way as the other two reached for the flying parchment, inadvertently nudging the loose handrail at the back of the lift, causing it to squeak and rattle loudly in protest. 

_Damn, damn, damn._

The young couple jerked their heads around at the noise, and James held his breath. 

After a moment, the girl with the blue ribbon laughed rather nervously. “Get worse everyday, these old lifts, don’t they? I’ve half a mind to start taking the stairs!” 

James started breathing again as the young man just gaped at her. He shook his head, attempting to clear his thoughts. Focus. He had to focus. He was on a job here; he could not afford to get distracted. 

The lift slowed, and the familiar voice announced that they had reached Level Three. James sighed. Had they really only gone one floor? 

He silently swore again as the doors opened and revealed at least half a dozen people waiting to enter the lift. There was no way he could conceal his presence with that many people crammed in. Luckily, the awkward young man with the parchment was exiting on this floor, so James hurried after him, thankful that the waiting crowd was giving the precariously balanced stack of parchment a wide berth. 

 

The lift doors closed, leaving James stranded in the corridor. He paced silently for a few moments, wishing he could _accio_ someone to come and call another lift. Finally, giving up, he headed toward the stairs, and found himself facing a blank wall. 

_Damn._

Why did the stupid stairs have to be in a different place on each floor? 

James turned a few more corners, looking for other likely places where they might have hidden the stairs. After only a minute, he was completely lost, wandering aimlessly with no idea of even how to get back to the lift. 

 

Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks, inadvertently crumpling his parchment again. 

He would know that sound anywhere. 

Involuntarily, as if drawn by some unseen force, he turned and followed the echoes through the winding corridor…

 

It was her, of course; James had known that without a doubt. Yes, it was her, and yet it was not…

She sat perched on the edge of a desk in the large office, her pose belying the rest of her appearance, which suggested she was every inch the responsible ministry employee. 

James nearly forgot to breathe as he drank in her image, in all its familiarity and foreignness. Smart black shoes peeked out from under the hem of her professional grey trousers. Regulation ministry robes covered most of her attire, but he recognized the soft black turtleneck of her jumper rising above the neckline of the robes. 

_Just like the velvet on the box…_

But it was her hair, as always, that most captivated his attention: the long red tresses, usually left hanging down her back, were instead coiled in a knot at the back of her head. The look would have been severe on some, but on her, it could only be described as elegant. 

It was Lily as she could have been: Lily the brilliant-head-girl-turned-prestigious-ministry-researcher, not Lily the proud-political-activist-turned-brave-underground-spy…

 

She was laughing – that was the sound that had caught him – smirking up at the sandy-haired young man that stood before her. 

“And what makes you think that my life is so boring that it needs to be livened up?” she quipped rather coyly, one of her eyebrows climbing her forehead. 

“Well, you were sent up here for three months,” the man replied, smiling down at her. “This can’t possibly be more interesting than working down on the ninth floor… What did you do down there anyway?”

Her eyebrows climbed higher. “You do know that there’s a reason why people who work there are called ‘unspeakables’, don’t you?” she asked dryly. 

“All right, all right,” the young man laughed, “but you must admit that it’s pretty damn boring up here. Wouldn’t you like the next ten weeks of your life to be exciting, even if you are away from your normal job?” 

“What makes you think that work is the only exciting thing in my life?” she countered archly. 

He gave her a look. “Your personal life can’t be that exciting, Evans,” he teased. “Aren’t you still dating that Potter git?”

James’ eyes narrowed. 

“Git?” she repeated, giving him a mock-warning look that was not in the least discouraging. 

“Oh, sorry,” he casually amended. “I meant, aren’t you still dating that slacker-who-lives-off-his-father’s-money-and-can’t-let-go-of-his-glory-days-of-Hogwarts-quidditch, Potter?” 

James’ scowl deepened, but Lily still smirked back at the idiot. “Maybe I like slackers who live off of their fathers’ money and can’t let go of their glory days of Hogwarts quidditch…” 

The young man’s oily grin widened and he leaned in a little closer to her. “You know, Evans,” he murmured, “there’s a whole line of much more desirable blokes waiting to cater to your every whim anytime you want them…” 

Lily’s eyebrows rose again, but she said nothing. 

James actually took a step forward, wanting nothing more than to hex the smarmy prat to smithereens. 

“Why are you still with him anyway?” the git continued. 

Lily considered him for a moment, then shrugged. “Why not?” she quipped indifferently. 

 

James stared at her, frozen in horror at her casual dismissal of their life together. He knew her flirtation was an act – she was on a job after all, too, but the man’s question had crossed an invisible line in his mind. Had she no desire to stand up for him? _Them?_ Would she really take her act this far? 

Or was that really how she felt…? Was he just a casual fling to her? A security blanket? A link to a past she wasn’t quite ready to forget? James continued to gape at her as the questions assailed him, his anger with the stupid young man completely forgotten. He was too shocked to even walk away. 

 

“Why not??” the man was repeating. “Because, like I said, there are loads of other blokes who would be more than able to fill that role! Come on, Evans,” he wheedled, lowering his voice and leaning in even more. “What’s he got that’s so great? Is it the money? Lots of people are rich… Security? That’s overrated. What is it?” 

With every question he had lessened the distance between them, but Lily sat calmly ignoring his invasion of her personal space, a dry smile still gracing her features. 

“Is it that he’s good in the sack? Like, _really_ good? ‘Cause he certainly doesn’t have a monopoly on that either…” His tone was an unctuous whisper now. “And you know what they say: variety is the spice of life. Everyone needs a little recreation now and then… What do you say?” 

Lily stared at him in silence for a moment longer. “You know what I _would_ really like?” she asked, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial murmur. 

“What?” he breathed, grinning wider. 

“Getting those reports that you owe me on time…” she replied, her expression never wavering. 

There was a pause, then he moved away from her, laughing. “A feat I’m sure Potter would be incapable of performing…” he remarked, clearly not willing to admit total defeat as yet. 

Lily was still smiling her wry smile. “Think of the nice change it will make for me.” 

 

The young man withdrew, leaving Lily alone in the office. James’ eyes followed her as she moved to a file cabinet, then back to her desk, sitting at it properly this time and calmly opening one of the file-folders she had retrieved. 

His mind was still reeling. Who was this polished, sophisticated Lily sitting before him, seeming perfectly at ease and at home in this setting? Who was this woman who flirted so outrageously and hardly batted an eye at such forward behavior from a relative stranger? His Lily would have hexed the bits off of anyone who propositioned her… 

James stared intently at her, willing her to feel his presence, willing her to break the façade, to show some sign that this was truly an act, and she was still her normal self, still the same old Lily – still _his_ Lily…

The minutes ticked by as the stack of parchment at Lily’s elbow grew. She was the perfect image of the competent, efficient ministry worker, now. Try though he might, James’ gaze could affect no change in her cool composure. It was painful to watch her, to continue to see a stranger behind the familiar exterior, and yet he could not muster the courage to walk away, to leave her. 

 

A brush against his arm startled James from his reverie. 

_Damn!_

He jumped back quickly, horrified that he had allowed himself to be so careless. A very short, extremely skinny young man had entered the office with an armful of file folders. The man seemed entirely oblivious to his encounter with James as he walked up to Lily’s desk and rifled through the folders. 

James breathed a sigh of relief as the two began discussing various documents. That had been far too close. 

“These three shouldn’t have come to me at all; they go to Wilkins in the South Office,” Professional-Lily was calmly explaining. “She’s dealing with everything on that case.” 

“Sorry, Miss Evans,” the young man apologized. “Cooper said they were all to go to you. Is it just these four, then, that you need?” 

“Yes, just these.” Lily selected a few of the folders. “And don’t worry about getting those files to Wilkins; I’ll do it.” 

“Thanks, Miss Evans. Anything I can take care of for you?” 

“Well,” Lily seemed to consider for a moment. “I do need all of these taken down to the fifth floor, if you happen to be headed in that direction…” She smiled at him. 

“I am now,” he replied, returning her smile and taking the stack of parchment from her. 

“Thanks, Martin.” 

James flattened himself against the wall as the young man passed him, then turned, and with one last glance back at the beautiful stranger once again seated at the desk, he followed the courier back through the labyrinth of corridors. 

 

The young man was whistling tunelessly by the time they reached the lift, but James was far too abstracted to be annoyed. His mind replayed the scene he had just witnessed over and over and over again, slowly torturing him. A few interdepartmental memos hovered around the light outside the lift, making it twinkle and dance. 

_Just like… Just like…_

_Oh damn._

James clenched his fists and was surprised by the jolt of pain shooting up his arm. He had not noticed the death-grip he had had on his roll of parchment, which was now a wrinkled mess… 

 

Thuds and groans announced the arrival of the – thankfully empty – lift, at last. James entered with the whistling young man, who was succeeded by two gossipy witches headed out for lunch. They reached the eighth floor and James made a bee-line for the apparition area. He took only one cursory glance around to ensure that there was at least some noise to cover the sound of his apparition before turning on the spot, wishing only to get as far away from the hateful ministry as possible. 

 

*******

 

James apparated directly into his bedroom, parchment still in hand, and took two steps toward the large dresser in the corner, not bothering to remove his invisibility cloak. 

“ _Stupefy!_ ” a voice cried out suddenly. 

_Damn…_

“ _Rennervate_ ,” Remus’ voice murmured from above him as he opened his eyes. “What the hell are you doing here, Prongs?” He sounded exasperated and exhausted. 

“I live here,” James retorted wryly, still lying on the floor. “What the hell are you doing Stunning me? What are you even doing out of bed?” 

Remus sighed as he stood up, the change in light revealing an unhealthy pallor and dark circles under his eyes. “Who are you – my nurse? I’ll get out of bed whenever I want. I heard someone apparate into the flat. Clearly I couldn’t see it was you, as you were wearing the cloak, so I thought it best to be safe rather then sorry,” he explained rather sarcastically. “Which brings us back to the original question of what it is that you’re doing here…” He gave James a pointed look. 

“What, I’m not allowed to stop home in the middle of the day, now?” James muttered, standing up, and avoiding looking at Remus. 

Remus’ eyebrows rose, but his expression softened. “Leave the ring alone, Prongs.” 

James started. “What ring?” he asked after too long a pause. 

Remus gave him another look. “The one that’s been hiding in your sock drawer for the past two months…” 

“And what have you been doing in my sock drawer?” James accused him. 

“I did the laundry, Prongs,” Remus replied dryly. 

James said nothing. 

“James!” Remus exclaimed suddenly, his voice much sharper than usual. James started again at the use of his proper name. “What the hell is that?” 

James turned to see Remus pointing at the crumpled parchment he had brought from the ministry. 

“’S nothing,” James murmured, turning away. 

“And I’m a bloody house elf!” Remus retorted in the same tone. “James, are you on a job?”

James shrugged. 

“Are you mad??” continued Remus. “Pull yourself together, James! I don’t know what that parchment is, and I don’t want to know, but I know it doesn’t belong here, and you ought to be much more concerned about getting it to wherever it needs to be than about that ring sitting in your drawer!” 

“Sit down, Moony, before you pass out,” James snapped back at him. 

Remus’ expression did not change, but he complied, sitting on the edge of James’ bed. 

“You saw her, didn’t you,” he said quietly, after a pause. “At the ministry.” It wasn’t really a question. 

“You knew!” James wheeled around to face him. 

“I know she’s there; that’s all I know.” 

Another pause. 

“She’s on a job, too, Prongs,” Remus reminded him, his tone gentler, but still pointed. “Just like you’re supposed to be…” 

“It was like I didn’t even know her,” James murmured, staring straight in front of him. “The way she looked and acted… Not one hint of her usual self; not one hint that she didn’t absolutely love being there… I kept waiting, but – nothing.” 

“She’s on a job,” Remus repeated. “Do think for a second – would you really want her to crack and blow her cover just so you can have the satisfaction of knowing it was all an act?” 

“Of course not,” James muttered, rather sullenly. 

“She’s good at her job, Prongs – she’s good at playing her part thoroughly; that’s why she’s there.” 

James’ expression hardened. “Yeah, very thoroughly: she was flirting with some git!” 

“She’s – on – a – job,” Remus reiterated deliberately. “She’s probably trying to get something from him.” 

“Yeah, well, she didn’t have to be so damned tolerant,” complained James. “She didn’t even stand up for me – for us! She just sat there and let him say all kinds of things… I don’t even want to think about how far she’s being asked to go to get whatever information it is that is so important!” 

“That comment doesn’t even merit a response,” Remus snapped, the harshness in his voice even more cutting now that he spoke quietly. 

James dragged his fingers through his hair. “I know,” he whispered. 

_Damn, damn, damn, damn!_

“It’s just – I mean I… I…” he stammered, then sighed. “It was like it wasn’t even Lily. She was just so put-together, so sophisticated, so… So different.” He trailed off. “You’re right – she played her part well. Maybe too well. She told that idiot that she was on a temporary transfer from the Department of Mysteries. It made me wonder if-if maybe she wouldn’t have been happier having a real, legitimate job like that – she could have gotten any job she wanted – rather than being dragged into all of this sneaking and lying and cover stories and all the rest of it…” He spoke very fast, again not looking at Remus. 

There was another pause, and James could feel Remus’ eyes on him. 

“I guess you’d better take the ring back, then,” Remus finally said, blandly. 

“What?” James cried, whipping his head around. 

“That’s what you came back for, isn’t it? That’s what you’re doing here, when you’re supposed to be on a job,” continued Remus in the same tone. “To get the ring so you could return it? Well, get on with it.” 

“I-I…” James stuttered, gaping at him. 

“Because if that’s what you think – that you dragged Lily into working for the Order, and that she’d rather have some menial job at the ministry – you don’t deserve to be with her, let alone marry her.” The almost callous words sounded foreign somehow in Remus’ soft voice. 

_Damn._

“Let’s just cut to the chase, James,” Remus went on, his tone still painfully direct. 

_Back to ‘James’ again…_

“If you really wanted to give that ring to Lily, you would have done it already. You don’t believe any more than I do that you dragged her into this life; you know damn well that she cares about you and your relationship, and you don’t really think for one second that she would cheat on you with some ministry prat. It’s just another excuse. There’s been nothing but a steady stream of them since you bought that ring two months ago. Even before I knew it was there, I figured you were up to something. You said you could never propose to someone right after something stressful happened – like when Dorcas got engaged right after she made it back from Kent – because it might seem impulsive; you didn’t want to do anything special for Lily on Valentine’s Day, because she thinks it’s a stupid holiday, and now this nonsense about jobs and flirting… All just part of a long list of excuses. You’re going out of your way to twist completely logical things into more complicated issues.”

James said nothing. 

_Damn Remus._ Why was he always right?

“The bottom line is, you’re either ready to marry her, or you’re not, James,” Remus concluded quietly. 

“It’s not that simple, Moony!” James protested. “There is a war on here!” 

“Yeah? And what exactly does that have to do with it?”

“What does that have to do with it?” James shouted, angry now, though at what he wasn’t quite sure… “It has everything to do with it! How can I ask her to marry me when we’re in the middle of all of this? How can I ask her to do something that could be used against us later?” 

A hint of sardonic smile appeared on Remus’ face. “You’re not a knight in shining armor riding off to battle, Prongs,” he murmured. “And Lily’s not your princess being held captive in an ivory tower by the Evil Lord as ransom to ensure your good behavior… It’s just another excuse.”

James managed a small smile at that image. No, Lily would never need rescuing. 

“And don’t flatter yourself that marrying her would put her in any more danger,” continued Remus. “Everyone knows you two are together, and Voldemort wants her dead anyway, whether her name is Evans or Potter, just like he wants all of us dead.” 

James was instantly sobered. “But it still seems like planning a wedding and all that is asking for more trouble,” he added. Remus opened his mouth to retort, but James cut him off. “I know, I know!” he amended quickly, running his fingers through his hair again. “If Lily really wanted to marry me, she wouldn’t care if it was risky. Hell, Lily’s not the type to care about weddings at all; she probably wouldn’t mind if it was just the two of us in our pajamas…” 

Remus smiled again. 

“I don’t know, though,” James mused, serious again. “It just seems like everyone is in a rush to get married.”

Remus raised his eyebrows. “You’re the one who bought the ring, mate,” he remarked dryly, then his smile faded. “You know why everyone’s getting married so soon, Prongs.” 

“They want to live while they can,” James murmured. “But I don’t want to ask Lily to marry me just because there’s a war on…” 

“Would it be just because there’s a war on?” asked Remus softly. 

There was a pause. 

“I don’t know,” James whispered. 

“What if there was no war?” Remus gently pressed. “Would you still feel the same way about her?” 

“Of course!” James cried. “I love her – so much; you know that! I just – I… I don’t know that I would be even thinking of marrying her now if we weren’t in a war…” He trailed off, sounding somehow younger. 

Remus gave him a sympathetic smile. “You are only just nineteen, Prongs,” he pointed out. “No one said you had to have it all figured out yet.”

James nodded. 

“But I do think that you’re overanalyzing this,” Remus continued softly. “The war shouldn’t enter into it; the only thing that should matter is how you and Lily feel about each other. And marriage is really just a title for those feelings. I think you’re still reaching for the fairy-tale ending, Prongs.” He smiled. “What would really change if you got married? Yeah, you’d sign some papers and buy rings, and she’d take your name, but it really wouldn’t be all that different – she already lives here; you’d both keep working for the Order… It’s just a title. Husband, wife, marriage: they’re all just words when you get right down to it.” 

“Words that don’t really matter to Lily…” James added in an undertone. 

“Lily realizes that they are just words,” Remus clarified. “She knows that they wouldn’t change the way she feels about you one bit.” He paused, then gave James a pointed look. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting that title, James. But don’t forget that that’s what it is at the end of the day…” 

There was a silence. James stared at the floor, trying to make sense of everything that he had finally admitted to himself, and everything Remus had made him consider… 

 

Both James and Remus jumped as an owl tapped on the window. 

_Oh, damn._

Remus got up and let the owl in. “You know what this is, don’t you?” he warned James. 

“Yes,” James murmured. 

_Damn, damn, damn, damn. Damn._

“You’ve got to go,” Remus urged. 

James did not respond, but stood in the same spot and drove his fingers into his hair. 

“Prongs!” Remus insisted. “Come on! I would rather face Voldemort alone than have to lie to Moody, so you had better leave right now so that I can write and tell him honestly that you’re not here, and I don’t have a clue where you are!” 

“Alright, alright,” James muttered. He picked up the long-forgotten wad of parchment and his invisibility cloak, and, his thoughts still in a complete muddle, he turned and disapparated. 

 

*******

 

Hours later, James quietly opened the front door of the flat, feeling completely exhausted – emotionally and physically. He reflected that Remus had been right yet again: lying to Moody had definitely been the scariest experience of his life. It could have been a lot worse, but he certainly had not enjoyed being hauled over the coals for wandering off and getting lost in the ministry… 

James heard Lily’s familiar laughter as he kicked off his shoes and turned toward the living room; it was softer and warmer than when he had heard it earlier. He had to smile when he saw her stylish shoes lying haphazardly near the door: as always, she preferred to be barefoot as often as possible. 

Peeking around the corner, he saw Lily and Remus sitting together on the couch. Remus was wrapped in a blanket, still looking rather sickly, and Lily sat sideways facing him, her knees bent up in front of her. She had stolen a corner of his blanket to cover her feet. They both were holding mugs of tea, and James noted with amusement that Lily had once again left the honey jar on the coffee table. He was sure that Remus had reminded her not to set it there, as it would leave a sticky ring, just as he was sure that Lily’s response had been a look and a shrug. 

They both turned as he entered the room and smiled up at him. 

“There you are,” Lily greeted him. “Long day?” 

“Very,” he sighed in response. 

She stood up, setting her tea down next to the honey and came over to him. She was still wearing her smart outfit from earlier, minus the ministry robe, and her hair was still pinned up, but little wisps had escaped, framing her face and softening it. 

“Hi,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around him. 

James did not respond verbally, but pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. His hands automatically moved to her hair, but were thwarted by the unfamiliar knot at the back of her head. Lily pulled away from his embrace, and smiled knowingly up at him, her eyes teasing. Slowly, her fingers removed the pins from her long hair, allowing it to cascade down her back, wavy and kinked from its previous styling. James’ fingers immediately moved to caress her face and thread through her soft tresses, loving and needing this familiarity. Lily’s smile softened as she watched him, and she lifted her own hand up to his cheek, forcing him to look into her eyes. 

“Are you all right, James?” she asked gently. 

“Yeah,” he breathed. “Just a very long, bad day.” 

She smiled again. “I love you,” she murmured. 

He pulled her close again, lifting her face to his and kissing her. Somehow she always knew just what he needed to hear… 

“I love you more,” he whispered against her lips. 

She giggled. “That’s stupid.” 

“I know,” he laughed back, between kisses. 

“Come on,” Lily muttered, still chuckling. “I’ve got to go take care of dinner before Moony tries to do everything himself.” 

She took his hand and led him toward the kitchen. 

“Wait, you’re making dinner?” James asked, trying not to sound too apprehensive. 

She turned around and narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re more than welcome to go to bed hungry…”

 

Remus was already in the kitchen, chopping vegetables. 

“Sit down, Moony, I’m taking care it,” Lily ordered. 

Remus raised his eyebrows. “I’m okay, Lily,” he asserted. “I’m feeling much better.” 

“Don’t be stupid,” she insisted, tying on an apron. “Sit down. You can tell me what to do.” 

“Please do,” muttered James, not quietly enough, as Lily turned around and glared at him. 

Remus and James sat at the table, Remus keeping a close eye on Lily’s actions. 

“Don’t let that pan get too hot,” he warned. 

“Yeah, do be careful, Lily,” James added. “We don’t want any fires.” 

He got a very dirty look in response. 

“Make sure those carrots aren’t sliced too thick, or they won’t cook through,” Remus cautioned a few moments later. 

“Lily, are you sure you’re up for this recipe?” James asked, a bit nervously. 

She turned around and threw three of the carrot slices at him. 

“Sorry I asked…” he muttered, as Remus snickered. 

“Lily, those onions are about to burn!” exclaimed Remus, jumping up to move the pan. 

“Yeah, what did I say about fires?” James remarked, unnecessarily. 

This time the carrot hit him squarely on the forehead. 

“Oi!” he cried, laughing. “We’re supposed to be eating those!” 

“You’re really not helping, you know,” Remus chided between chuckles, returning to his seat. 

“Maybe I should be glad she’s throwing them instead of cooking them…” James muttered to Remus in an undertone, still giggling. 

He was answered by more flying carrots. 

Lily was now transferring the sliced carrots from the cutting board to the pan. 

“It would be awfully nice if some of those carrots actually made it into the pan,” James observed, deliberately goading her now. 

Without turning around, she lobbed a carrot over her shoulder at him. 

“Oops, I must have missed…” she quipped. 

 

The bantering continued. Remus had tears streaming down his face, and James’ sides hurt from laughing. Even Lily was giggling now, as more carrots flew across the room and James continued to tease her. 

 

_This_ was what he wanted to hold onto, James reflected, as he dodged yet another carrot: this glorious madness that was life with Lily. Title or no title – and hell, what kind of title could you give them, anyway? – _this_ was what he wanted everyday of his life. Yeah, one of these days, he probably would want to marry her, would want to see her wear that ring he had picked out so carefully, but Remus was right: that wasn’t what really mattered. It was living that mattered, not how you labeled it, and whether he had two months or two centuries left, he wanted to spend every day just like this. 

 

 


End file.
